UCL’s Main Quad is set to reopen this month after a year of closure — as The Cheese Grater brings you a preview of the new building.
The Portico will reopen for paid attendees of UCL Illuminated from 11 to 13 February, with public access to the Quad, Wilkins Building, and Main Library entrance possible from 16 February.
Construction will continue with minor works occurring over the coming months; however, the Quad will remain accessible with any major works occurring over the Easter break.
Inside the Wilkins Building
Inside, permanent seating has been put in the Cloisters which are also adorned with new lighting fixtures.
The four rooms in the Wilkins Building have all also been refurbished.
In the South Cloisters, the Ivory Room will mostly be used for UCL200 exhibition purposes while the Blue Room will become a bookable space.
The original flooring in the Ivory Room has been preserved and will be polished before UCL Illuminated.
The Blue Room replaces the UCL Art Museum that was “evicted” from the Cloisters last year following a rushed consultation that left them as collateral damage.
Only the light boxes and the colour of the walls have changed in the Octagon Gallery, which is also being used as an exhibition space.
The North Cloisters have the same new lighting fixtures and seating as the South Cloisters. The statue of sculptor John Flaxman has also been relocated here.
The seating layout is different because the North Cloisters tends to be less busy than the South Cloisters.
The Haldane Room has kept its name while the other space is now known as the Yellow Room. Both rooms can hold up to 60 people.
Outside in the Main Quad
The Portico has been cleaned and a new stone commemorating UCL200 has been placed.
The new grass patches have built in seating around them and there has been a 10% increase in biodiversity around the Quad, even though some grass space has been lost.
Instead, there is a new performance area with a stage that has the Portico as a backdrop, accompanied by more built in seating which has lighting underneath.
All of the Main Quad is now fully accessible apart from the North Junction entrance where a staircase remains for structural reasons, according to a UCL source.
The North Observatory behind the stage will be changed into a Gather & Gather cafe named Crumble and Cookie.
The “please keep off the grass signs” will eventually be removed once the grass has taken root. The Ginkgo trees also remain after UCL community members petitioned to save them when the plans originally set them to be felled.
